In medical diagnostics, it is one of the most common methods to apply body fluids such as urine to test strips provided with test pads containing various dry-chemical reagents which upon re-action with specific analytes in the samples exhibit a concentration-dependent colouring or discolouring. Conventionally, the test strips (“sticks”) are manually dipped into the body fluids followed by a visual inspection of the test pads, e.g., in comparing them with colour patterns which at least allow for a clear distinction between normal and pathologic contents of analytes in the body fluids.
In recent years, a strong demand for the automated analysis of body fluids can be observed. This is not only due to the fact that there is an ongoing increase in clinical analyses requiring more cost-efficient processes but also in the aim to enhance re-liability and preciseness of tests in particular at the detection limits of analytes. For this reason, strong efforts have been made to develop new clinical analyzers for the automated analysis of samples. In today's commercially available analyzers the samples are automatically pipetted onto the test pads, followed by a photometric analysis of the test pads. Dependent on the colouring or discolouring of the test pads as a result of chemical reactions between reagents and samples, the light beam incident on the test pads is more or less absorbed. Accordingly, an intensity of the reflected light can be used to detect colouring or discolouring of the test pads, e.g., to determine concentrations of analytes contained in the samples.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved system and method for the automated analysis of samples such as urine. This object is met by a system and method according to the independent claims of the invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention are given by the features of the dependent claims.